Military Operations in Iraq Require Gov’t Coordination

Iranian Ambassador in Paris Ali Ahani said any military operations in Iraq against the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group or any move to provide humanitarian aid to the people in the northern city of Mosul should be carried out in coordination with the Arab country's central government.

Addressing an international meeting in Paris on Thursday about the IS-held city of Mosul, Ahani chided certain western countries for taking unilateral measures in the anti-IS campaign in Iraq.

"Any military or relief operations in Iraq should take place in full coordination with Iraq's central government," Tasnim News Agency quoted Ahani as saying.

He called on countries that have played a negative role in the Iraqi crisis to seriously fight against IS militants and not allow them to move to other districts.

Ahani reiterated the importance of supporting the Iraqi government and people in the anti-terror campaign and said, "As long as the Iraqi government deems it necessary, the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to support and provide humanitarian aid to [the Arab country]."

The Iraqi Army launched a large-scale offensive on October 16 to wrest Mosul out of IS control. Iraq has been facing the growing threat of terrorism, mainly posed by IS terrorists. IS militants made swift advances in much of northern and western Iraq over the summer of 2014, after capturing large swaths of northern Syria.

However, a combination of concentrated attacks by the Iraqi military and volunteer forces, who rushed to take arms after top Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa calling for fighting the militants, have blunted the edge of the IS offensive.

Amid tensions in Iraq, Iran is known as the first country to help the Arab country and has always voiced support for Iraq's solidarity and prosperity.